Louis Pasteur

Undoubtedly, one of the main, most representative and important within the field of science, who was also the founder of microbiology and a pioneer of modern medicine was Louis Pasteur , who with his great work managed to save and continues to save in the news to thousands of people worldwide.

Historic context

Two hundred years after Louis Pasteur was born, the scientific revolution had already emerged throughout Europe . Throughout this period, many of the scientists tried to explain the workings of the world with natural physical laws . The scientific method began to be used and more precise observations were made , one of the main aspects of this important revolution. On the other hand, several scientists considered that science was something that should be used in order to make nations and individuals rich .

Unfortunately, in this century all the technology needed to achieve the goal was not available, however later, when Louis Pasteur was born, the industry was already using scientific knowledge and science was a means of wealth. In its period, the Industrial Revolution occurred and the process caused health conditions to be bad, causing a large number of different diseases for which scientists tried to find treatments and discover means of contagion .

For this reason science underwent a great stimulus and the scientists of the time began to look for a way to solve practical problems and began to make a series of important discoveries that later companies and industries could use to achieve a better life for populations. Health.

Biography of Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822 in Dôle , Burgundy , France . His childhood was lived in a small town called Arbois . As a child he showed no interest in science and, on the contrary, leaned more towards the field of the arts . His father forced him to go to high school and eventually graduated with a doctorate in physics and chemistry . In 1848 he carried out a series of investigationsbased on racemic acid and on paratartaric acid that finally led him to create the theory of molecular asymmetry , which is why he is considered the father of stereochemistry .

In 1848 he worked as a professor of physics and chemistry and as a substitute in the chemistry career located at the University of Strasbourg . He went to Paris to work as a director in the field of Sciences of the École Normale and later also served as a chemistry holder of the Faculty of Sciences at this University. Over time and after having carried out different types of research and discoveries, he dedicated his activity to studying contagious diseases, confirming his theory and developing vaccination as a preventive method.

Death

The death of Louis Pasteur is recorded on September 28, 1895 and the Notre Dame Cathedral located in Paris was buried . In 1896 his remains were transferred to a neo-Byzantine crypt at the Pasteur Institute.

Education

Louis Pasteur studied at the École Normale in Paris where he managed to obtain a doctorate in physics and chemistry . He then entered the Lycée de Besançon and later, in 1854 , began his studies at the University of Lille, where he was appointed as professor in the field of chemistry as dean of the Faculty of Sciences. He also studied at the Royal School of Besançon where he graduated in science and mathematics.

Louis Pasteur experiment

His main experiment succeeded in proving that the microbes were originated mainly from other microorganisms . For this, he was in charge of demonstrating that the processes of fermentation and organic decomposition were formed by the action exerted by some living organisms and that in order for the microorganisms to grow they needed to have a nutritive broth, so they did not arise from spontaneous generation .

To achieve this, he exposed several wines that had been provided with a filter that prevented the passage of dust particles and at the same time exposed two others that did not have the filter but had an elongated and curved neck that made the air difficult to enter. . In each of these long-necked, S-shaped flasks, he poured an equal amount of nutrient broth and then boiled them to eliminate possible microorganisms .

After some time, Louis Pasteur was able to observe that nothing grew in the broths and showed that the living organisms that were in the flasks without filter or without long necks came from the outside, probably transported by means of dust or as spores . Thus it was found that microorganisms were not born form spontaneously in the broth discarding thereby theory of spontaneous generation and showing that all living beings will be formed from other previous living being. With this experiment he managed to create the germ theoryof diseases, which significantly influenced the beginning of modern microbiology .

Discoveries of Louis Pasteur

There were many discoveries made by Louis Pasteur, the main of which are mentioned below.

• His first discovery was spatial optical isometry.
• He discovered the participation of yeasts in the fermentation process and also proposed that some had the ability to produce alcohol and others lactic acid.
• He conducted a large number of tests with microorganisms such as Pasteurella multocida and the bacillus antrhacis that causes anthrax. He inoculated a strain of P. multocida that had been weakened due to an error in his laboratory and with this caused a disease that had mild symptoms, he called this vaccination and it was the beginning of the attenuation of microorganisms for immunizations.
• He studied silkworms at the request of the French Government as they were causing problems in the wine industry . He discovered that there was not one disease but two types of them which had been born from parasites that infected the worms during their initial stage and the leaves on which they fed. With this he developed the germ theory of infectious diseases .
• He managed to show that the processes of fermentation and organic decomposition were caused by the action of living organisms.

Physical characteristics

His height was medium , his hair was black and straight, and he used to wear a beard and mustache.

Personality

His personality was very interesting, he was a man passionate about science, tenacious and extremely ingenious . He was also very smart and adventurous.

Parents

His mother was Jeanne-Étiennette Roquide and his father Jean-Joseph Pasteur , a man who served as Napoleon’s sergeant.

Relations

He married Marie Laurent in 1849.

Sons

Together with his wife he had a total of five children , however two of them died when connected with typhus .

Importance

Louis Pasteur was a very important man for science and medicine and in fact he is considered one of the greatest scientists that have existed in the history of mankind because thanks to his inventions , science advanced in fields as vital as that of the vaccines and antibiotics . It is he who is recognized for the discovery of pasteurization , he was the pioneer of molecular asymmetry and has also been considered the forerunner of the entire branch of modern microbiology .

Thanks to his work, it was possible to develop a vaccine against anthrax and against rabies , vaccines that saved thousands of lives over time. Through him and his contributions, medicine managed to get to what I am and that was of vital importance for the sciences and for humanity because with this it was possible to develop and create a large number of important medical advances .

Phrases

Some of his most important phrases are mentioned below:

• A little science leads away from God, but a lot of science returns to Him.
• Wondering is the first step to a discovery.
• The universe is asymmetric and I am convinced that life is a direct result of the asymmetry of the universe, or of its indirect consequences.
• In the field of research, chance favors only prepared spirits.
• If I don’t know a thing, I’ll investigate it.
• Chance favors a well-trained mind.
• Science is the future of humanity.

Acknowledgments to Louis Pasteur

Throughout his scientific career Louis Pasteur received several recognitions, some of these were the following.

• The Rumford and Copley medals were awarded to the Austrian Government and an award of 10,000 francs for this work on silkworms.
• In 1873, the French Société d’Encouragement gave him a prize of 12,000 francs.
• Medal by the Russian Society of Rural Economy .
• The Albert medal and the Bressa prize , plus 5,000 francs for the Academy of Turin.
• The University of Oxford awarded him a CL ., The University of Bonn , an honorary MD .
• The English Royal Society gave him a foreign membership , and the French Academy its membership .
• He was appointed Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Sciences .
• In 1895, Pasteur received the Leeuwenhoek Medal , the highest distinction in microbiology.

Presence in popular culture

Several films have been created in popular culture to narrate the history and impressive work of Louis Pasteur. The film The Story of Louis Pasteur was an Oscar- winning film . Several eponyms have also been made in his honor, a crater on the moon bears his name, in 1973 he was given a tribute by the International Astronomical Union putting his name on a crater located on the planet Mars and also a do today his memory is commemorated. Several species of microorganisms were also named after him.

Curiosities

Some of its main curiosities are the following:

• When he was a child he did not show any interest in the field of science, on the contrary, what he wanted to study was the arts.
• He managed to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation and with that the idea that diseases arose out of nowhere was discarded.
• When he turned 45, believe me, he partially paralyzed the left side of his brain, despite this he managed to move on.
• By injecting several chickens, a bacterial culture managed to discover that vaccines could be created within a laboratory.